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SkekSil
SkekSil was the Skeksis' Chamberlain, and counterpart to urSol the Chanter. He was Chief Secretary of State, and thus next in line to the Skeksis' throne after Emperor skekSo, he formed a powerful political faction consisting of skekEkt the Ornamentalist and skekOk the Scroll Keeper. Despite his position, he was despised by the other Skeksis for his wheedling voice and underhanded nature.Smith, A. C. H., & Odell, D. (1982). The Dark Crystal. Holt, Rinehart and Winston . Personality SkekSil is ambitious, arrogant, deceitful and treacherous, acting like a sycophant to the Emperor and feigning loyalty and friendship to other Skeksis and to Jen and Kira while in truth serving only himself in order to secure, reinforce or regain his position. As he told skekMal there is nothing that he won't do to gain power, his ambition was such that he tried to grab the Emperor's scepter when skekSo was in his deathbed and grabbed it before the Skeksis had chosen a new Emperor. Cunning and manipulative skekSil uses half-truth and other lies in order to reach his goals, win the trust of others or transfer the blame of his actions over others such as when he framed the Scientist for Rian's escape, leading to him losing an eye. He's also pragmatic to a certain extent as he advised the other Skeksis to blame Rian for Mira's death to turn the rest of the the Gelflings on him and to only use as many Gelflings as necessary to keep the Skeksis alive with essence instead of using them all. His arrogance and ambition can however cause him to underestimate others such as skekUng who was a serious rival for the position of Emperor and stronger physically than him leading to skekSil's banishment after challenging the Garthim Master to Trial by Stone that the latter won. He's also sadistic, drinking the last of Mira's essence in front of Rian and yelling it was tasty while Rian was screaming for Mira, suggesting that skekTek should be subjected to the peeper beetle, feigning friendship with skekVar only to betray and murder him once he was vulnerable and making a succession of loud whimpering in presence of skekUng after the latter expressed his disdain for his whimper. SkekSil was the most articulate of the Skeksis in justifying their perceived superiority over the Gelfling, characterising them as "weak" and desiring to be dominated, as well as analogising his own kind as being to the Gelfling what the Gelfling were to crawlies."The First Thing I Remember Is Fire" The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Netflix. August 30, 2019 He had a unique speech pattern, often omitting definite articles, subject pronouns and third person singulars, as well as sometimes referring to himself and those he was in direct conversation with in the third person. Talented in scheming big world changing plans were used to skekSil's advantage by allowing him a position next to the Emperor however skekSil's can be so pleased in making complex plots that it can lead to irritating the other Skeksis who want to take the quick and easy path, unlike skekSil who likes to take the time to admire his handiwork. Out of all the Skeksis, skekSil had the most common sense as he could realise errors in the General's plans though this is likely done so to maintain his luxuriating lifestyle at the castle. Biography Age of Resistance After receiving no rejuvenation from the Dark Crystal and overhearing skekTek and skekSo, skekSil stayed close to the Scientist skekTek and saved him when the experiment to extend their lives nearly killed him. SkekSil counselled skekTek that he devised a means for them to use the crystal to drain life from other beings to replenish themselves, abducting the Gelfling Mira for the experiment as he and the other Skeksis drank from her essence. When the Skeksis realised that Rian witnessed their deed, skekSil assured the Emperor that the Gelfling would not believe Rian."End. Begin. All the Same." The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Netflix. August 30, 2019 SkekSil continued to curry the Emperor's favour, advising him to frame Rian for Mira's murder as opposed to skekVar's more martial suggestions. SkekSil later snuck into skekTek's laboratory, eating a locksnake and stealing the remaining essence, but was interrupted just before he could drink any by skekTek's arrival. SkekTek entered and almost exposed the Chamberlain, but the two smelled Gelfling began searching together, finding a Stonewood and later a Drenchen, Rian and Gurjin. SkekSil tried to blame the Gelfling for the disappearance of the essence he had taken, but the locksnake on his teeth betrayed him and skekTek saw the vial in his hand. The two fought for it until skekSil dropped the vial, allowing Rian and Gurjin to steal the vial and flee. SkekSil and skekTek pursued, with skekTek herding Gurjin within reach of skekSil, who captured Gurjin and attempted to talk Rian into surrendering. Gurjin however stabbed skekSil, allowing Rian to rush past him and escape the castle, but skekSil managed to swipe a bit of Rian's clothing as he passed. SkekSil then thwarted skekTek's attempt to out him out for the vial's loss by weaving a tale of half-truths so that the Scientist would be punished instead, later giving him a pair of Gruenak slaves as compensation. SkekSil then conducted a story to make it appeared Rian was very ill and murdered Mira, adding further that it can be passed on by dreamfasting."Nothing Is Simple Anymore" The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Netflix. August 30, 2019 When skekSil found skekVar the General had earned the Emperor's favour, he recruited skekMal the Hunter to retrieve Rian and regain his position."What Was Sundered and Undone" The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Netflix. August 30, 2019 After promising to return Rian to skekMal once finished with him, skekSil drank the last vial of Mira's essence and destroyed it. On the way back to the Castle of the Crystal, skekSil attempted to deter Rian from escaping by justifying Mira's death and explaining that Rian could doom all Gelfling, before Rian was rescued and skekSil was forced to return on foot."She Knows All the Secrets" The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Netflix. August 30, 2019 Driven out of Stone-in-the-Wood village by the Gelflings, skekSil learned from skekAyuk the Gourmand that skekVar murdered All-Maudra Mayrin and was astonished that the Skeksis were actually jubilant of no longer needing to maintain appearances as they captured the Crystal Guards and took their essence. However, later providing an Arathim corpse for skekTek's use in the creation of the Garthim, skekSil conducted a scheme to win skekVar's trust as he convinced the Emperor to attack the forming rebellion. Though they were forced to retreat, skekSil managed to orchestrate skekVar's humiliating defeat by Rian and secretly killed him to regain his position as skekSo's counsellor. Exile and Downfall engage each other in Trial by Stone.]] Several trine after the Garthim War, skekSil saw skekSo's final days as an opportunity to ascend to the throne but found opposition in skekVar's replacement, skekUng the Garthim Master. During the Emperor's last days of life, skekSil constantly made reference to his executive position by bringing scrolls and administrative papers to the Emperor's death bed, despite knowing that skekSo was in no position to attend to them, and even attempted to grab the Scepter of Office from the unconscious, yet still living Emperor. After skekSo's funeral, skekSil briefly participated in a path-finding ritual with skekUng and skekZok the Ritual Master (the only other real contender for the throne) in order to pick out a successor. But skekSil impatiently rushed to the throne and took the sceptre in hand, stopped by skekUng who challenges him to Trial by Stone. He lost the ordeal, and was subsequently stripped of his robes and banished from the Castle. However, as he was leaving, the Crystal summoned the other Skeksis to the Crystal Chamber, where it was revealed that a Gelfling, Jen, had survived the Garthim War. Sensing an opportunity, skekSil followed the Garthim sent to capture Jen, and rescued him and Kira, another survivor, from them. He later reached the two Gelflings in the houses of the old ones, and attempted to convince them to return to the Castle to make peace with the Skeksis. The two refused, and rushed off to the Castle. SkekSil managed to reach them in the catacombs of the Castle, and tried to force them to come with him. In the ensuing struggle, the Chamberlain caused a cave-in to bury Jen, after the Gelfling had wounded his hand. SkekSil took Kira to the throne room, and handed her over to skekTek, who intended to drain her essence for the new Emperor skekUng. SkekSil was reinstated as Chamberlain, but soon found his position once again in peril, as skekUng angrily discovered that Jen had escaped from the rubble. When the Great Conjunction that would grant the Skeksis immortality came, and the escaped Gelflings were on the verge of healing the Dark Crystal, skekSil attempted to offer the two their freedom if they handed over the shard. The offer was rejected, and the Great Division was ultimately reversed with skekSil absorbed by urSol as they revert to SilSol. The Return After hundred of years being imprison, when Thurma broke into the Crystal Castle to steal the crystal shard and she accidentally releases the evil Skeksis and the wise Mystics divided from their true form again, and skekUng blaming the Chamberlain for their imprisonment and sent him exile again, after Thurma and her accompanied Kensho go on her quest to save her from dying. But, the sly Chamberlain is on their trail and try to steal the Crystal Shard restore the Crystal once again. Non-canon appearances in Trial by Fire.]] In the continuity established by Legends of the Dark Crystal, skekLach the Collector became skekSo's most favoured follower, causing skekSil to become consumed by jealousy, and sought to regain the Emperor's favour by finding any information that could compromise skekLach's reputation for loyalty. His first significant discovery was that the Collector was turning the Emperor against skekVar the General, telling him that, contrary to the General's claims, the crop of Gelfling essence was diminishing.Kessel, B. R. & Arnhold, H. (2007) Legends of the Dark Crystal Volume 1: The Garthim Wars. TokyoPop. He enlisted the help of Gelfling slaves and small animals to spy on the Collector, and discovered that the essence shortage was due to skekLach secretly drinking it for himself. Later, the Chamberlain found Neffi, a Gelfling female, attempting to rescue Gelfling prisoners previously captured during the Battle of Namopo Valley. He allowed her and the others to leave the Castle, telling them to remember that it was "skekLach" who freed them. During the Battle of Bah-Lem Valley shortly after, one of the escaped Gelflings was captured and, when asked who released him, identified skekLach as his rescuer. SkekSil took the opportunity to openly accuse the Collector of treason, and challenged him to Trial by Fire, demanding that the Collector admit his guilt should he lose. However, the Chamberlain lost the ordeal, as skekLach had been strengthened by his consumption of essence. Unable to accept his defeat, skekSil continued to press his accusations, until silenced by the Emperor, who ordered him to enjoy the victory celebrations, or face the consequences.Kessel, B. R. & Arnhold, H. (2010) Legends of the Dark Crystal Volume 2: Trial by Fire. TokyoPop. Behind the scenes with skekSil's animatronic head]] Being the original film's primary antagonist, the Chamberlain puppet was technically the most complex Skeksis, having 21 electronic components and requiring four people to operate, in contrast to the other Skeksis which needed only two. At the time, it was considered the most advanced puppet in cinematic history, with its eyes, brows, beak and hands articulated by pneumatic devices.C. Finch, The Making of the Dark Crystal: Creating a Unique Film, Henry Holt & Co, 1983, pp. 44-45, . Frank Oz, who performed the Chamberlain, declared in an interview that he had a soft spot for the character, describing him as a villain who would murder his own mother with a smile, a facial expression he insisted be incorporated on the character's design.D. Snow, "The world beyond the Muppets". You: The Mail on Sunday Magazine. 28 novembre 1982:10-14. His scepter was based on a mandala.C. Gaines, The Dark Crystal: The Ultimate Visual History, Titan Books, 2017, p. 123, . Gallery Chamberlain.jpg Warrick Brownlow-Pike SkekSil.jpg|Warrick Brownlow-Pike between takes SkekSil Instgarm.jpg UrSol SkekSil.jpg|SkekSil with his urRu counterpart, urSol the Chanter. SkekSo with skekSil & skekZok in armor.jpg|SkekSil (left) with emperor skekSo and Ritual Master skekZok skekSil & skekTek.jpg|SkekSil and skekTek skekSil the Chamberlain.jpg|SkekSil the Chamberlain skekSo, skekTek, skekSil, & skekOk.jpg|SkekSo, skekTek, skekSil, & skekOk References External Links * * Category:Characters Category:The Dark Crystal characters Category:Legends of the Dark Crystal characters Category:The Power of the Dark Crystal characters Category:Males Category:Villains Category:The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance characters Category:The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths characters Category:Deceased